Meatball

by Schwan's Consumer Brands Inc.

90
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Meatball by Schwan's Consumer Brands Inc. receives a safety score of 90/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 2 ingredients that have been flagged for potential safety concerns by regulatory or consumer advocacy databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0072180635440
Nutri-Score
d
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 PIECE (128 g)

What the Data Says About

Meatball by Schwan's Consumer Brands Inc. carries a composite safety score of 90/100, which we classify as "Safe" on our four-tier shelf-label framework. The score is computed by mapping each labeled ingredient against FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status and CSPI Chemical Cuisine classifications, then penalizing the overall product for each additive rated as caution-or-worse. Product data originates from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative catalog; safety annotations come from federal regulators and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Our scan identified 2 flagged ingredients in this product — components that at least one official source has classified as requiring caution, targeted avoidance, or further evaluation. Flagged ingredients are the items most likely to surface in FDA inspection findings, state-level ingredient bans, or outbreak-related recall notices, so the per-ingredient breakdown below is the most useful lens for anyone screening this product for a specific dietary concern.

On the NOVA processing scale, Meatball is classified as Group 4 (Ultra-processed). NOVA measures industrial processing intensity rather than ingredient-level safety, so it complements the SAFFA and CSPI ratings: a product can be clean on additive flags but heavily processed, or lightly processed but carry individually flagged ingredients. Combining both lenses gives a fuller picture than either alone. The Nutri-Score grade of D reflects nutritional balance — calories, saturated fat, sugar, sodium versus fiber, protein, and produce content — which again is a distinct dimension from additive safety and worth weighing alongside the scores above.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Meatball
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 90/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 2 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score D OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Enriched Flour
2
Wheat Flour
3
Malted Barley Flour
4
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
5
Reduced Iron
6
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
7
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
8
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
9
Water
10
Imitation Mozzarella Cheese
11
Palm Oil
12
Modified Food Starch
13
Casein
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
14
Milk
15
Modified Food Starch
16
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
17
Sodium Citrate
18
Sodium Phosphate
19
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
20
Natural Flavor
21
Sorbic Acid
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
Safe GRAS
22
Preservative
23
Artificial Color
24
Italian Style Meatballs Made With Pork
25
Beef & Chicken
26
Pork
27
Beef
28
Mechanically Separated Chicken
29
Seasoning
30
Parmesan Cheese
31
Part-skim Milk
32
Cheese Culture
33
Enzymes
34
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
35
Onion
36
Spices
37
Parsley Flakes
38
Bread Crumbs
39
Bleached Wheat Flour
40
Yeast
41
Dextrose
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Cut Back GRAS
42
Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
43
Soybean
44
Cottonseed Oil
45
Soy Flour Protein
46
Soy Flour
47
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
48
Tomato Paste
49
Or Less Of: Vegetable Oil
50
Cottonseed
51
Corn
52
Canola Oil
53
Vegetable Shortening
54
Soy Lecithin
55
Rice Flour
56
Whey
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FORMULATION AID, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
57
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
58
Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, LEAVENING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
59
Sodium stearoyl lactylate
Other
Safe
60
Sodium Bicarbonate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
GRAS
61
Monocalcium Phosphate
62
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
63
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein With A Maximum Of 2% Soybean Oil
64
Spice
65
Organic Onions
66
Maltodextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
67
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution GRAS
68
Xanthan Gum
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Approved
69
Potassium Chloride
ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, imitation mozzarella cheese (water, palm oil, modified food starch, casein [milk], food starch, salt, sodium citrate, sodium phosphate, lactic acid, natural flavor, sorbic acid [preservative], artificial color), italian style meatballs made with pork, beef & chicken (pork, water, beef, mechanically separated chicken, seasoning [parmesan cheese (part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), salt, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, spices, parsley flakes], bread crumbs [bleached wheat flour, salt, yeast, dextrose, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean and/or cottonseed oil)], soy flour protein [soy flour, caramel color], salt), tomato paste, contains 2% or less of: vegetable oil (soybean, cottonseed, corn, and/or canola oil), vegetable shortening (palm oil, natural flavor, soy lecithin), rice flour, dried whey, modified food starch, dextrose, sugar, salt, yeast, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate, hydrolyzed soy protein (hydrolyzed soy protein with a maximum of 2% soybean oil), spice, dehydrated onions, dehydrated garlic, maltodextrin, carrageenan, xanthan gum, potassium chloride.

Categories

Frozen foods

Data Sources

Data as of 2025. Source: OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Product data from OpenFoodFacts (ODbL). Ingredient safety ratings from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details.

This information is for reference only and does not constitute dietary or medical advice.

Related

Data sourced from official FDA, USDA, and CDC food-safety databases. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial